Surrey Archaeological Society

Watching brief by G Rapson of MOLA during underground cabling works between Coombe Farm, Park Farm and Coast Hill Road, much of which was laid using a mole-plough, providing limited excavation opportunities. Open-cut trenches close to Vale House, the old rectory for St John’s church, revealed a section of a domestic rubbish pit containing a small amount of ceramic domestic debris and a large number of fragmented wine bottles, the majority of which date from the late 18th century.

A series of fieldwork projects by N Cowlard and members of the SyAS Roman Studies Group around Cocks Farm villa to investigate it within its rural context. A metal detector survey of the field to the north and east of the villa recovered one piece of curved and decorated copper alloy that may have been part of a Romano-British decorative furniture fitting, although none of a number of lead and iron finds recovered could be attributed to the Romano-British period. Romano-British pottery and worked flint was also recovered.

Excavation of a trench by N Cowlard and E Corke, together with members of the SyAS Roman Studies Group, designed to relocate the trench that Charles Darwin cut through the villa in 1877 and so fix the location of the four or five rooms exposed at the time, the location of which were not determined in the 1995–7 SyAS excavation of the site. The excavation added to the evidence for the villa from previous work, but there was nothing to suggest that Darwin’s trench had been located. (416)

Watching brief by G Rapson of MOLA during underground cabling works. The majority of the route was located on the Greensand ridge where cable was laid by mole-plough allowing limited opportunities for investigation, although worked flint dating to the Mesolithic and Neolithic periods was observed in ploughed fields. Two undated drainage features 5m apart were revealed during open-cut excavation carried out along the eastern side of Hammer Meadow, a field containing channels and earthworks relating to post-medieval water management.

Evaluation by G Kinsley of SLR prior to the construction of a composting facility. A single linear feature containing Bronze Age pottery and flintwork was revealed.

Geophysical survey by J English of SyAS, involving a magnetometry scan of the inner precinct area, did not provide any evidence for buried structures, although a number of anomalies that may represent kilns were recorded. An historic building recording survey of the gatehouse was also carried out, and a watching brief was undertaken during remedial works, with soil displaced by animal burrowing dry-sieved for material before the burrows were infilled. A small amount of predominantly Iron Age and medieval pottery was recovered. (419

Evaluation by R Entwistle and P Jones of SCAU prior to the creation of a golf course. The area of holes 10--18 was examined. The larger part of the evaluation area of hole 10 was negative, although a small number of features apparently of Iron Age to Early Roman date were revealed. Holes 11--18 were examined in 2007, but unreported at the time. A small number of prehistoric features were revealed. Additional trial trenching by N Shaikhley was carried out in the vicinity of the suspected flint mines revealed during the evaluation of 2007.

Evaluation by R Entwistle and P Jones of SCAU prior to the creation of a golf course. The area of holes 10–18 was examined. The larger part of the evaluation area of hole 10 was negative, although a small number of features apparently of Iron Age to Early Roman date were revealed. Holes 11–18 were examined in 2007, but unreported at the time. A small number of prehistoric features were revealed. Additional trial trenching by N Shaikhley was carried out in the vicinity of the suspected flint mines revealed during the evaluation of 2007.

Soil-stripping, mapping and sampling by J Robertson and N Randall of SCAU, during the creation of a park and ride facility, following evaluation in 2007. A comparatively large number of Late Bronze Age to Early Iron Age features were revealed, including pits, ditches and stakeholes. Evidence of activity from the Neolithic to Early Iron Age was evident in the finds assemblage.

Note of the loss of a Second World War pillbox by T Howe of SCC, which was demolished during construction work.